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In Napoleon’s Shadow, The Memoirs of Louis-Joseph Marchand, Valet and Friend of the Emperor 1811-1821

Translated from the French for the first time, this is an intimate view of Napoleon from a close personal servant. This new book provides unique insights from someone who was there in Napoleon’s final years, seeing him as a man and as an Emperor descending from the apex of his power. – Most Highly Recommended

IMAGE: B2729.jpgBUYNOW: http://tinyurl.com/ybwnyptzLINKS: DESCRIPTION: Translated from the French for the first time, this is an
intimate view of Napoleon from a close personal servant. This new book
provides unique insights from someone who was there in Napoleon's final
years, seeing him as a man and as an Emperor descending from the apex of
his power. - Most Highly RecommendedThis is a volume of substance that is offered at a very aggressive cover price in softback. It has
been nicely produced, but it remains to be seen how well the binding will stand up to the heavy
use that many readers will demand of it. This is not a book to be read quickly from cover to
cover and then placed on a shelf. There will be some readers who do just that, but many will treat
this as a serious reference work to be read, re-read and frequently referred to.The mass of books about Napoleon concentrate on the politics and the warfare. The battles are
picked over in detail, there are many books of biography or memoir from soldiers and politicians,
and each makes some reference to Napoleon's private life, frequently as conjecture. In this book
Napoleon's valet provides a huge amount of detail and very fresh insight into Napoleon as he
descended from the height of his power and achievement to the isolation of imprisonment on a
remote island as his health failed.This is a most rewarding read for the history enthusiast and the researcher but it is also an
absorbing account of one of history's giant figures written in rich detail and with many facts that
have not appeared in any other account of Napoleon. The writer was a close personal servant
who might fairly be described as a friend and certainly as a close confident, particularly in the
final years of exile.